Focus 3.2 - Analysis: Act for Water

Vocabulary

Accessibility is the ability to obtain or retrieve something when needed.Availability is the quality of being at hand when needed.Distribution is the act of sharing or giving something out.Effective is being successful in producing a desired or intended result.Empowerment is a process that helps people gain control over their own lives and act on issues that are important to them. It is also a social process because it occurs in relationship to others.Involvement is the fact or condition of being involved with or participating in something.Sanitation are conditions relating to public health, especially the provision of clean drinking water and adequate sewage disposal.

Purpose - Water Advocacy

In Sub-Unit 3.1 children identified a cause worth advocating for and wrote a statement explaining their choice. In this sub-unit, children expand their advocacy to include an analysis of the situation or condition that needs attention, change or advocacy relating to the right to water. Once they have done this, they then explain their involvement by defining their goal to effectively advocate for the right of the community to clean drinking water close to home.

Child Asks: What causes the lack of the right to water in this community and how are their lives affected because of this?Children's Rights Education: Enables the child to analyze the issues relating to this need for clean drinking water close to home.Child Answers: There are effective ways to sanitize, distribute and conserve water.

Classroom Learning Activities

1. Analyze a Community's Need for the Right to WaterStudents refer to the 3-Step-Tool to Empowerment to analyze a cause worth advocating for that relates to a community's right to clean drinking water close to home. This includes the following process:

Refer to the statement written in the Identification process, and analyze the issues relating to the need for clean drinking water close to home for this community.

Describe what the situation or condition is that requires attention, change, or advocacy. Is it that the water is contaminated, and/or is access a problem?

Explain your involvement by defining your goal. This could be inspired by other advocates for this right.

Values of respect for the right to water guide the child when analyzing a cause and setting a goal worth advocating for.

Relevant Convention Articles

Article 61. States Parties recognize that every child has the inherent right to life.2. States Parties shall ensure to the maximum extent possible the survival and development of the child.Article 121. States Parties shall assure to the child who is capable of forming his or her own views the right to express those views freely in all matters affecting the child, the views of the child being given due weight in accordance with the age and maturity of the child.2. For this purpose, the child shall in particular be provided the opportunity to be heard in any judicial and administrative proceedings affecting the child, either directly, or through a representative or an appropriate body, in a manner consistent with the procedural rules of national law.Article 131. The child shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of the child's choice.2. The exercise of this right may be subject to certain restrictions, but these shall only be such as are provided by law and are necessary:(a) For respect of the rights or reputations of others; or(b) For the protection of national security or of public order (ordre public), or of public health or morals.Article 141. States Parties shall respect the right of the child to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.2. States parties shall respect the rights and duties of the parents and, when applicable, legal guardians, to provide direction to the child in the exercise of his or her right in a manner consistent with the evolving capacities of the child.3. Freedom to manifest one's religion or beliefs may be subject only to such limitations as are prescribed by law and are necessary to protect public safety, order, health or morals, or the fundamental rights and freedoms of others.Article 151. States Parties recognize the rights of the child to freedom of association and to freedom of peaceful assembly.2. No restrictions may be placed on the exercise of these rights other than those imposed in conformity with the law and which are necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security or public safety, public order (ordre public), the protection of public health or morals or the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.Article 241. States Parties recognize the right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health and to facilities for the treatment of illness and rehabilitation of health. States Parties shall strive to ensure that no child is deprived of his or her right of access to such health care services.2. States Parties shall pursue full implementation of this right and, in particular, shall take appropriate measures:(a) To diminish infant and child mortality;(b) To ensure the provision of necessary medical assistance and health care to all children with emphasis on the development of primary health care;(c) To combat disease and malnutrition, including within the framework of primary health care, through, inter alia, the application of readily available technology and through the provision of adequate nutritious foods and clean drinking-water, taking into consideration the dangers and risks of environmental pollution;(d) To ensure appropriate pre-natal and post-natal health care for mothers;(e) To ensure that all segments of society, in particular parents and children, are informed, have access to education and are supported in the use of basic knowledge of child health and nutrition, the advantages of breastfeeding, hygiene and environmental sanitation and the prevention of accidents;(f) To develop preventive health care, guidance for parents and family planning education and services.3. States Parties shall take all effective and appropriate measures with a view to abolishing traditional practices prejudicial to the health of children.4. States Parties undertake to promote and encourage international co-operation with a view to achieving progressively the full realization of the right recognized in the present article. In this regard, particular account shall be taken of the needs of developing countries.